


Empty Cups

by pycmyeon



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cheating, M/M, Noremin if you squint, a rant, i just love markhyuck, not really but, self indulge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 22:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pycmyeon/pseuds/pycmyeon
Summary: Mark really hates parties.Especially those where he doesn’t feel like himself, when his mind tells him he looks like a red cup half empty abandoned in the room.





	Empty Cups

**Author's Note:**

> This is just rant, not beta, English is not my first language.
> 
> Inspire by Empty Cups of Charlie Puth.

Mark really hates parties.

 

No only that, Mark really hates getting out of his bed to go to a cramped living room with his social anxiety as his date, really, fun.

 

He really wants to get out of this one, he begged Jeno to not drag him here but he lost, with the excuse that he haven’t got out with him in literal weeks using the phrase “Mark, you haven’t leave your room in weeks because you sleep in your books and we are on vacation, if our friendship or my mental health means something to you please come with me.”

 

Of course Jeno had a point, and of course the only thing that can make Mark leave his actual cave is a lowkey dare, to pick on his pride competitive side, and of course Jeno’s friendship (of course, even tho Mark wants to kill him right now)

 

He knows the house is from one of his fellow seniors, a Chinese student, Jeno’s friend got the memo and invited Jeno saying that he could bring a plus. Mark really didn’t knew anyone here, well maybe he did, he saw familiar faces, but as the fully capable student he is, work is more important than friends, that’s why he cared for Jeno’s friendship (and mental health) being his closest friend and all, but he was pretty sure that this party was full of younger people, younger in like Jeno’s age and below (2 years younger than him), that only makes Mark feel even more out of place, like he is one of the forgotten red cups spread around the room.

 

This analogy supported by the fact that Jeno literally run away with some classmates, well he was pulled, but still, he abandoned Mark there.

 

Standing near the kitchen door, he haves a pretty nice view of the living room, someone took the time to move the old couches, he heard from a conversation near him that this place was a “sorority house” pretty much a group of foreign students forming a gang and calling themselves a sorority, that explains the second-hand furniture, actually makes Mark wonder if the house was really of the Chinese kid, and hey, how they can even afford this? he knows rent is hard, even more for a foreigner, he can’t imagine, he lives in the university dorms, and still pays a few charge for it and it’s hard, well it has to be hard for his parents, or that is what his conscience tells him every day he is not making that money payoff, god, he really needs to get out of here.

 

Looking out for Jeno, his eyes make full contact with someone who feels like he has been watching him for a long time, Mark can feel the hair in the back on his neck reacting at the thought, the sparkly eyes looking at him advert his gaze and grow even bigger (Mark thought the boy’s eyes were about to pop out of his orbits any minute) until a shake gets him out of his shock and the sparkly eyes get ripped out of Mark, that’s when the former notices, a guy as tall as your favorite spaghetti noodle, but somehow builded in what he can only describe as a Dorito V shape (he knows about that trend at least) turning sparkly eyes with a hand on his waist, pulling him close closer, murmuring something right on his lips but without touching them, so close that if someone turned to their direction and didn’t paid attention they would have thought they were kissing, it feels like an intimate moment, yet Mark can’t pull his eyes out of it watching sparkly eyes smile in the guys mouth, leaning to finally make the assumption of them kissing true, he really can’t take his eyes off... but he is Mark Lee, turning a few pink shades spinning in his place as quick as he can, focusing on the kitchen.

 

He feels a pull, for a moment he thinks the way he is feeling about the couple being intimate is making his mind and body act by itself and it’s turning again to pry, being relief when he notices it’s just Jeno, and Jeno’s weight on his shoulder, and he breathes, he didn’t noticed that he was holding himself from it.

 

Jeno’s right thick eyebrow arches up and he is looking at Mark funny, Mark indeed feels funny, he only got one of his friends (the red cups) full but he isn’t as weak as that, then why does he feel like this? Jeno is still looking at him, going from funny to concerned, asking Mark if he is already drunk.

 

Mark shakes his head, he can’t speak, he thinks if he speaks a giggle will come out, and Jeno is not going to believe he is not drunk, even if he really isn’t. Jeno starts talking

 

“You are acting weird”

 

Tell me about it, Mark wants to say. But simple shrugs and smiles to Jeno.

 

“No, you’re acting weird, suddenly talking to me? that’s new”

 

Jeno smiles sadly, Mark feels a bit bad for saying that, he was joking, he is about to say that when Jeno takes his hand.

 

“Come, I want to introduce you. I told the guys I’ll bring you, you know you’re quite a charmer? Being asked about you frequently is getting annoying” Jeno says smiling, doing that pretty thing with his eyes.

 

“Ha ha ha, what guys? Your daycare friends?”

 

“Yeah, those, but please Mark, you’re just 2 years older.”

 

Mark lets Jeno guide him.

 

Then regrets it.

 

Sparkly eyes is looking at him again.

Looking at him getting closer.

 

Oh, he knows me, Mark thinks. That explains the looking, except that as far as he knows Jeno hadn’t show them, his friends, his classmates, a picture of him, their campus is big, so big you can barely encounter a face twice, and Mark isn’t fond of pictures, and Jeno is not that cheesy about having a picture together, Mark knows he is waiting till graduation to have a proper one in which Mark hands are away from his face, and he actually get his glasses and cap off. He did in fact take them off today, to look “handsome as you truly are Mark” Jeno said. So maybe sparkly eyes make a guess and recognized bits of Mark, but as he gets closer he can see that maybe his assumption is wrong.

 

Sparkly eyes is still next too Chinese noodle boy, god, he needs to get their names ASAP, looking at him, then looking at Jeno, then looking their linked hands, then back to Mark.

 

Mark watches the whole thing, feeling conscious about himself, wanting to let go of Jeno’s hand and run right under his bed. But it’s too late, five pair of eyes, including the Sparkly one’s are looking at him, close enough to talk above the loud music, close enough to see their smiles plastered in their faces, to see somehow a kind of fondness, but Mark can’t relax.

 

Jeno let go of his hand, to put it right on the back of his neck, giving his reassurance, knowing how shy Mark tends to be, feeling his body tense.

 

Knowing that he isn’t going to say a thing first. Jeno helps him through.

 

“Well there you have it. The man himself, now can you guys stop threatening me and spare my life for not introduce my cute Mark to you?”

 

A chuckle. Then a voice.

 

“Ha. As if we will ever stop bothering you Jen, you’re doomed for the rest of your life. But it was about damn time that you showed us the infamous Mark Lee.” A pink haired guy said it, Mark assumes it’s Jaemin, fitting the description that Jeno makes about the guy: weird hair, big eyes, big mouth, literally.

 

“Yeah, Jeno talks about you non stop we actually think of you as our friend, hope you don’t mind hyung.” Dolphin laugh, Mark checks the box for Chenle.

 

“Pfft, of course he is going to mind Lele, I bet the guy doesn’t even know our names.” Orange hair kid says, Jisung.

 

“Actually...” Jeno starts talking

 

Mark gets in the way.

 

“I know who you are Jisung, Chenle, Jaemin... you must be Renjun (pointing at noodle boy), and...” Mark catches Sparkly Eyes, also named Donghyuck, watching him expectantly. He had to be Donghyuck, fluffy hair, tanned skin, fashionista, leaner, and cute, definitely the cutest of the group, Jeno descriptions were accurate it made Mark shiver.

 

“What? I’m not Renjun” Noodle boy screamed actually mad.

 

“Uhh...” come on Mark, fix it.

 

“RENJUN HYUNG IS GOING TO FLIP” Chenle screams.

 

“He is actually Lucas” Jeno says.

 

“Oh, sorry man, I only got those five names and thought you were the missing one, with the blonde hair and the Chinese vibe”

 

“I’m actually Chinese, and proud peroxide blonde, but are you blind? I’m tall, Renjun is a midget.” Lucas said.

 

The rest of the group laughed.

 

“He is actually blind, I bet he didn’t put his contact on” said Jeno looking at him fondly.

 

“I did” Mark puffed. “I don’t need them tho.”

 

“Just go with the vibe Mark, Lucas here is the owner of house he can get you out from saying he is Renjun.” Jaemin told him laughing.

 

“Oh” nice first impression.

 

Mark relaxed after everyone started talking around him. Just nodding and answering the question that were asked directly to him. He gets why Jeno hangs out with them.

 

Actually, Mark and Jeno have know each other for a life time, but they didn’t hangout that much in college with Mark being almost done and Jeno just getting started. He found friendship on his classmates, getting fast comfortable with them. He tells Mark about them, Mark feels too, like he knows them well, but still Mark is drained by work, and have declined several times to get to know the famous five.

 

Eventually a small, leaner, blonde guy spots them, Mark automatically matches Renjun description, Mark is about to ask the guys not to tell Renjun about the confusion, but before he can even articulate a word, Chenle is already screaming at him.

 

“Yo, Renjun hyung, guess what! This is Mark by the way, and he assumed Lucas was you.”

 

Renjun turns to him, and feels his stare go through his head. Sighs and starts puffing.

 

“Well, as much as I’m excited to meet you, apologize to me, as if I would even dare to kiss Lee Donghyuck...” Mark suddenly felt embarrassed of hearing the words Kiss and Donghyuck together, thinking about the scene he watched before.

 

“BUT that’s not it hyung” Jisung shouted. Mark knew trouble was coming. “Lucas hyung said you were a midget”

 

And the bomb was dropped. Renjun actually jumped on Lucas. Shouting words that only Chenle was laughing at, assuming that they were nothing good in Chinese.

 

Mark got red and anxious. And this should have been noticed by Donghyuck, who took his arm and drag him out of the fight. That made realized Mark that Jeno and Jaemin were gone, so no one saw the action made by Donghyuck, to immersed in the fight of the not so look alike boys.

 

Going behind some stairs, where not so much people were gathered, Donghyuck let go of his arm.

 

“Breath” he said.

 

Mark wanted to laugh, like he could even dare to breath with Donghyuck so close to him, he just simple nodded and said.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t kew I would cause all of that” he was actually sorry and embarrassed.

 

“Don’t worry about it, that’s how they communicate, so it’s nothing weird, you did nothing”

 

“Okay” and silence.

 

Donghyuck keeps looking at him, and Mark looking at the floor. A group of people pass behind them and Donghyuck growls. Taking again Mark by his arm.

 

 

“Let’s dance” Donghyuck says as he smirks to Mark.

 

Mark really hates parties.

 

He hates the fact that god really said, Mark you’re going to be good at everything, but dancing, not even in your dreams.

 

He understands why when he watches Donghyuck dance right in front of him, all the talentless people who couldn’t dance existed thanks to god giving it all to Donghyuck.

 

Suddenly Mark didn’t want to leave.

The party, the dance floor, and especially Donghyuck‘s side.

 

Mark is in a trance. Donghyuck must know how he looks, because he just side eyes Mark and keeps going, getting closer.

 

Mark is your nice next door neighbor who wouldn’t and couldn’t kill a fly. Mark is the boy every parent wants in their house as their in-law. Mark is the kind of guy every action he makes, every word he speaks, it’s so predictable, because he would never NEVER dare to make something out of his character. Someone could even write his future life and be right about it, because he is plain like that.

 

That’s why even himself is confused by the way he holds Donghyuck’s shoulder, just staring, and the sparkly eyes are back, looking, staring back at him, so close, so close he notices the smooth eyeshadow, he notices the moles splattered on his face, the cute way his eyebrows arches and the tiny hairs getting almost into his eyes. He is in a trance, not by Donghyuck’s dance, not anymore, but at how beautiful can someone eyes be, no, scratch that, at how beautiful Donghyuck’s eyes are.

 

Suddenly he is in a room, not sure how he got here, Donghyuck is closing the door of the room. Slowly.

 

Mark walks in to the room noticing that this must belong Donghyuck’s. There’s some pictures of his group of friends, some cds in the floor, a guitar right next to his bed, more pictures of what Mark assumes is his family by the resemblance, a gigantic “Fullsun” sign hanging above his bed, more pictures, Donghyuck hugging Jeno, Donghyuck making a v pose next to Chenle, Donghyuck kissing Lucas.

 

Then reality hits him. Mark asks a question.

 

“This is your room right?” Donghyuck nods “Why do you live here if by your name I can see your full korean” Intelligent, of course Mark isn’t going to ask about Lucas, he isn’t going to ask about what are they doing here, he isn’t going to ask and just, for a rare time, let things go by themselves.

 

Donghyuck laughs a bit, in a low voice.

 

“I’m 100% Korean, but my family lives in Jeju, and I don’t like to be alone”

 

Oh. Now what? Mark ask himself.

 

Mark hums. “FullSun?”

 

“Ha...Yeah, that’s actually my nickname”

 

“It suits you. It’s cute, very cute”

 

Donghyuck gulps. He actually looks shy. Not as brave as how he was acting on the dance floor.

 

“You think they will notice that we slip away?” Mark doesn’t know what gets him so brave to ask that, as if he is implying that something else besides coexisting will happen in the room.

 

Mark starts to get closer as he asks the question, walking towards the door, towards a freezing Donghyuck. Wondering if he feels the same thing that’s going between them.

 

Donghyuck is about to answer his question, when his phone rings. He pulls it out. Lucas.

 

He is about to answer the call, when Mark catches his hand, and feeling brave, feeling the moment, feeling, says “Turn off your phone and blame it on your battery”

 

Donghyuck sparkly eyes are back, as big as ever. He is speechless, Mark is actually speechless too. But he doesn’t regret a thing. He watches Donghyuck getting three more calls, before the fourth enters, Donghyuck turns his phone off.

 

He locks the door, and start walking towards the bed. Mark is not so brave anymore, but starts walking right behind Donghyuck. He stops when Donghyuck starts talking.

 

“Can you...can you..Turn my television up so nobody can listen in case someone comes this way looking out for us...”

 

Mark is about to die right there. He feels his knees giving out, but somehow manages to turn the tv on, and place the volume a bit loud just in case.

 

Donghyuck watches the action from his bed, leaning on his header, making eye contact with Mark. No need for words. Mark walks towards him.

 

Mark can’t let this moment go to waste, but the picture of Lucas staring at him is not making this easier.

 

“You know you don’t need anyone’s permission, we are not like that, I mean we are like something like that but not completely, we broke it off but still fool around, because I’m young and stupid and need attention.” Donghyuck says, just because he wants Mark to feel comfortable.

 

Mark hums, waiting for more. But Hyuck gets quiet. Mark is leaning, just like he saw Lucas made with Donghyuck, staying right in front of his lips, he really wanted to try that.

 

“Okay, I get it”

 

“He is your age you know?” Mark didn’t knew, he never saw Lucas before. “He used to have a class with you, I went to pick him out, and then I saw you. You’re quite a charmer you know?”

 

Mark is frowning, that’s the second time today he gets that phrase. Donghyuck must notices the eyebrows because he laughs.

 

“I didn’t have any idea you were the Mark, Jeno’s Mark” says somehow sadly.

 

“Uh, yeah, I’m that Mark, but I’m not Jeno’s...if your insinuating it like that, that’s like creepy tho”

 

Donghyuck’s face brightens. “Oh, I thought, because he talks so much about you, and without the hyung and holds you and calls you with pets names...”

 

Mark shivers. “That’s disgusting to even think of, he is like my brother, no, he is literally half cousin”

 

Donghyuck hums in embarrassment.

 

Then gets even closer. Enough talking, Mark thinks.

 

“I just really want to kiss you” Donghyuck’s says. “I think you’re incredibly handsome, when I saw you I got star strucked, but never saw you again. Until today, that’s why I was looking at you, I noticed you catch me on that.”

 

“Then kiss me, because if you don’t do it I will, your boyfriend is no competition right now”

 

“He is not-“

 

And Mark kisses him. Well, he kind of told him he was going to do it, but still Mark feels the way Donghyuck’s body reacts, tenses and then relaxes and melts in to Mark’s, in to Mark’s hands, holding his body like there is no one at the party, just Donghyuck and himself.

 

After a while of fooling around, not knowing what to say, to themselves, starting to realized people will talk, and that this isn’t as subtle as they thought, and no excuses will seem good enough. The night is ending, they have to start talking. Mark is about to express Donghyuck his concerns when he is shut by the former.

 

“You know, the end of the night doesn’t mean we gotta separate, I mean, if you like, we can get to know each other...only if you-“

 

“Of course” Mark holds his hand.

 

And suddenly it really feels like it’s just Donghyuck, himself and a bunch of forgotten red cups.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Omg I thought no one was going to read this! Is my first ever fic! Thank you!


End file.
